Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
03/17/2009 - Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Theodore was spectacular between the pipes, stopping 19-of-19 shots, as the Washington Capitals shut out the Florida Panthers, 3-0, at BankAtlantic Center.
Theodore improved to 28-15-4 on the year and collected his second shutout of the season. Brooks Laich, Viktor Kozlov, and Mike Green scored for the Capitals, who bounced back from a 5-1 loss to Atlanta on Monday. John Erskine tallied two helpers for Washington.
Washington defenseman Green returned to the lineup after missing Monday's game with flu-like symptoms. Green leads all NHL blueliners with 25 goals.
Alex Ovechkin failed in his second chance to become the first Capitals player to ever notch three separate 50-goal seasons.
Tomas Vokoun stopped 22 shots in defeat for the Panthers, who have lost four straight and five of their last six games. Florida hadn't dropped four in a row since doing so from December 26-31.
Defenseman Bryan McCabe returned to the lineup for the Panthers after missing the last three games due to facial surgery required after he was hit with a puck versus St. Louis on March 7.
After a scoreless first period, Florida gained the first power play of the contest at the 4:22 mark of the second frame. But it was the Capitals that ended up scoring during the Panthers' man advantage.
Laich notched a short-handed goal at the 5:46 mark, firing a wrister from the left circle that deflected off the inside of the right post and into the net for his 18th of the year.
Florida had two more power plays in the second stanza, but failed to capitalize on either. The Panthers fired a total of five shots on goal during their three man-advantage opportunities. Florida also outshot Washington 11-6 in the period, but headed to the third period down 1-0.
After the Panthers killed off an early power play in the third, Kozlov lit the lamp for Washington to give the visitors a 2-0 lead with 17:24 remaining. Kozlov maneuvered with the puck from the left point to the left circle before snapping a wrist shot past the stick-side of Vokoun.
Green scored an empty-net goal with 1:27 remaining to ruin any hopes of a comeback for Florida.
Game Notes
Florida went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Washington was 0-for-1 with the man advantage...The Capitals are 3-2 against the Panthers this season. The club has also won in three straight and four of its last five visits to BankAtlantic Center...The Capitals improved to 18-13-4 on the road.
<< Celtics' Powe leaves game
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Celtics forward Leon Powe left Tuesday's
game against the Chicago Bulls with a bruised right knee and will be re-
evaluated on Wednesday.
Powe was injured in the first quarter when he banged knees with C
<< James' late heroics propels Cavs past Magic
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James scored 43 points, including the
go-ahead three-pointer and two game-sealing free throws with 8.7 seconds left,
to lift the Cavaliers over the Magic, 97-93, at Quicken Loans Arena.
James also had
<< Morehead State moves on to face Louisville
Dayton, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sophomore Kenneth Faried pulled down 21 rebounds
to go with 14 points, as the Morehead State Eagles managed just enough offense
to upend the Alabama State Hornets, 58-43, in the opening round of the 2009
NCAA To
<< Brodeur gets No. 552, backstopping Devils past Blackhawks
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Brodeur is now the NHL's all-time
winningest netminder.
Brodeur made 30 saves to help the New Jersey Devils defeat the Chicago
Blackhawks, 3-2, at Prudential Center. The 36-year-old Br
Ottawa uses three power-play goals to down Buffalo >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brendan Bell scored two of the three Ottawa
power-play goals as the Senators held off the Buffalo Sabres, 4-2, at
Scotiabank Place.
Daniel Alfredsson chipped in with a goal and an assist, while
Malkin's five-point effort carries Pens over Thrashers >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evgeni Malkin recorded a five-point outing
and eclipsed the 100-point plateau for the season, as the surging Pittsburgh
Penguins ended Atlanta's longest winning streak in franchise history at six
games w
Mitchell leads Leafs past Lightning in SO >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Mitchell scored the game-winner in the
sixth round of the shootout, as the Toronto Maple Leafs erased a three-goal
deficit, rallying to win 4-3 over Tampa Bay at St. Pete Times Forum.
Mitchell also
Wild get by Avs in SO >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Schultz tied the game late in the third
period and Marek Zidlicky netted the deciding goal in the shootout, as the
Minnesota Wild defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2, at Xcel Energy Center.
Stephan
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting